I am new in this too, I just bought my machine 11 month ago and I been practicing in muslin sandwiches. I also been reading a lot of book and looking at video but what really help is practicing. I wish I can practice more but I am getting better with my practice. Another thing is get paper and pencil and practice to build up muscle memory that help a lot. I asked people in this business and all of them told me the same thing, you need to practice at least for a year before you take a customer. I already make 3 little quilt for myself and they came out nice. I know everybody is different so you try what is best for you. I think you need to concentrate in practice and them the rest. If you go to handiquilter.com click on education and them webinar they have how to start a longarm business with Angela Walter is really informative and will help you with some answer you looking for. Good Luck